Rays of The Harmonist
- "Serving" Jīvas
- Unalloyed Theism
- To Refute Misconceptions is Guru-sevā
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by Śrī Śrīmad Bhaktivedānta Vāmana Gosvāmī Māhārāja
❝The terms jīva-sevā (service to other entities) and jīva-prema (eternal love for other entities) are fictions, contrary to conclusive truth, and are illogical. One will never attain the result of service to Śrī Bhagavān by serving the conditioned souls’ gross senses and becoming a regular purveyor of their bodily and mental demands. One can never attain a transcendental life of service by serving that which is inert or loving the illusory objects produced by māyā.❞ ...
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by Śrīla Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura Prabhupāda
❝Factually, our restricted perspective in relation to the phenomenal domain should not be imposed on the Personality of a thoroughly Independent Integer. The Personality of Godhead is to be humbly approached, not subjected to our sensuous inspection, as though He were an accused in the court. We should accept that all existences are, and ought to be, His own. This method of approach is known as unalloyed theism.❞ ...
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by Śrī Śrīmad Bhaktivedānta Vāmana Gosvāmī Māhārāja
❝To refute misconceptions is guru-sevā. If, at any point, one can understand that someone is giving misleading teachings, one should, in a civil manner, refute them and establish the faultless siddhānta. Doing so is the ideal of conviction in service to guru. If, despite knowing and hearing the truth, one conceals it, hypocrisy finds its outlet, and that entails a lapse of duty. This (refuting someone’s views) is never contrary to humility or amānī-mānada-dharma.❞ ...
Read MoreHow To Deeply Perform Arati
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You will have to add something in your sadhana-bhajana. Try to follow the instructions given in the book Hari-bhakti-vilasa, for all rules and regulations can be found there. Also, for arcana (formal deity worship), there is a book coming from Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu through Sri Vakresvara Pandita and Sri Gopala-guru Gosvami, and after that through Gopala-guru Gosvami's disciple Sri Dhyanacandra Gosvami. This book is called Arcana Padhati...
This Very, Very Critical Time
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A question is raised, and intelligent devotees should think it over. Why did so many devotees leave Srila Bhaktivedanta Svami Maharaja's line? Why did they become weak? They took harinama initiation and diksa initiation, they rendered services to him, they remained with him in the brahmacarya asrama, and some even took sannyasa. They served in numerous ways, distributing thousands of books and becoming the 'number one' or 'number two' distributors in the entire world...
A Radio Interview
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These names are more powerful than fire. If you put your finger in fire, knowingly or unknowingly, the fire will burn you. Similarly, whether or not you are aware of the power of His names, your chanting will burn all your unfavorable moods – your ignorance and offenses. He will give you His love and affection, and soon you will be happy forever...
Morning Walks in Miami
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Krsna is parama-brahma. His personal power, hladini-sakti, is Srimati Radhika, and Gayatri-devi is Radhika’s manifestation. Savitur varenyam means that Surya gives light, heat, and life to all fourteen worlds in each universe. But who gives life to the Sun? Krsna’s power, Gayatri, gives life and light to the Sun. We should meditate on this. Dimahi means “May she come in my heart.” This is the real meaning of the gayatri-mantra. Generally people think this is the mantra of Surya, but it is actually not.
An Amazing Darsana
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I want you to preach my mission, just as the disciples of Parama-pujyapada Srila Bhaktivedanta Swami Maharaja preached. His disciples preached everywhere and distributed his books. I also want you to preach everywhere through books. Distribute his books and my books. Go to airports, seaports, schools, colleges, street to street, house-to-house – and broadcast the mission of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. Chant harinama and be happy...
A Surprise Definition of Bhakti and Sadhu Sanga
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What is sraddha, how does it begin, and what are its fruits? Sraddha, which means the tendency to serve Krsna, is the actual root or seed of all bhakti. We discussed that sraddha is of two kinds: worldly sraddha and transcendental sraddha...
Is Book Distribution Pure Bhakti?
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While distributing books, you should think, "I am doing this to please my Gurudeva and Krsna, all should know what is written in Jaiva Dharma." You may tell people, "Jaiva Dharma includes everything from top to bottom about how to develop your bhakti from the beginning. If you want to read only one book, then you will have to read Jaiva Dharma by Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura. From the conclusions of Bhagavad Gita starting with Saranagati, and continuing to maha-bhava, everything has been explained in this book. So you must read and follow Jaiva Dharma...
Replying To Doubts
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We are going to tell something about guru-tattva. In sastra it has been written that jagad-guru is Krsna Himself. guru is not less than Krsna. guru is the rupa of Krsna. Guru is the svarupa of Krsna. Have you heard this anywhere? In the first chapter of Caitanya Caritamrta it has been written that Guru manifests in many forms. All Vaisnavas are guru. We should consider all pure devotees - not fallen devotees - to be guru.
What The Pure Devotee Thinks While Chanting
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The sadhaka is thinking about the sweet pastimes explained in the Srimad Bhagavatam, which he has heard from his gurudeva. It seems that he is here, but he's not here. He is in Vrndavana, chanting Hare Krsna Hare Krsna Krsna Krsna Hare Hare / Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare with tears in his eyes and hairs standing on end. He is totally absorbed...
Two Drops Of Nectar
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We should try to keep that transcendental wealth in our heart, like our own soul. We should not distribute it. If you distribute it, what will happen? It will become like camphor kept in the open air. It will evaporate in a moment. Camphor should be kept in a bottle with some black pepper — airtight. Then it will not evaporate...
A Is For Apple, B Is For Ball
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We have been discussing about the bhakti creeper. First of all we should know what is real bhakti. Pure bhakti is called uttama-bhakti. We must know this. Nowadays, some persons here, also in India but especially in Western countries, want to jump at once without any sadhana and without any bhajana. They don't practice the limbs of bhakti as explained in Bhakti Rasamrita Sindu. At once they want to jump - to see naked Radha-Krsna in Their nisanta-lila...
Higher and Higher
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When Srila Raya Ramananda offered the varsnasrama system as the goal of life, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu replied that it is external. Varnasrama-dharma is of two types: one is daiva (divine) and another is adaiva (mundane). Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu did not reject daiva-varnasrama-dharma. He only rejected adaiva-varnasrama-dharma...
Aksaya-tritiya
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Today is a very auspicious day – Aksaya-trtiya. We will observe it tomorrow, however, because today there are three tithis touching one day. Today the door of Bhadri-narayana will be open, and therefore a festival will be observed in Puri with Lord Jagannatha. Candana-yatra will also begin on this auspicious day...
What to Think About While Chanting
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Syama-kunda and Radha-kunda are extremely beautiful, surrounded by the many exquisite sweet groves of Lalita, Visakha, and all the other principle sakhis. We want the mercy of Radha and Krsna Conjugal. Srimati Radhika is our Svamini, our worshipful mistress, so we must please Her. How do we please Her? Not by glorifying Her...
True Sannyasa verses Sahajiya Babajis
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A personality who can preach the mission of Caitanya Mahaprabhu throughout the world in very short time, who can translate and write commentaries to authentic books like Sri Caitanya-caritamrta, who can publish and explain Srimad-Bhagavatam and the books of Srila Rupa Gosvami and Srila Jiva Gosvami – how can he be an ordinary person? He was certainly in the line of Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura, Srila Raghunatha dasa Gosvami, Srila Rupa Gosvami, Svarupa Damodara, Raya Ramananda, and Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu...
